Great Link: WordPress Plugins

digitaleagle Blogging, Uncategorized, Wordpress Leave a comment
via http://www.flickr.com/photos/pimkie_fotos/2451289441/sizes/o/in/photostream/
via Flickr

I am always open to more lists of WordPress Plugins:

Lunarpages Blog: Ten WordPress Plugins Worth Considering

The one I picked up from this list was WP Super Cache.  My blog definitely needs a speed boost.

The next one I probably need to come back to is the Mobile Press.  The only problem is that the link was broken.  I’ll have to come back and research that later.

So, let me add a few of my own:

Ad Injection: Previously, I had tried to implement the ads manually into my theme.  I found that they were slowing the site down.  This plugin makes implementing ads correctly easier, and it gives you more options as well.

Edit Flow: While it is just me blogging, I still use this plugin to try to organize my posts.  I have created a “Stub” status that I use when I find a topic that I want to write about.  Then, I created a “Needs Research” status to indicate that I still have work to do before finishing the article.  I also created a “Pending Review” status to remind myself to review the article one more time before publishing.

Jetpack: If you don’t already have this installed, WordPress should start to bug you about it.  For me, it just means better looking stats.  I need to delve into setting up some of the other features in it.

Yet Another Related Post Plugin: I need to spend more time on theming the related section, but this plugin seems to make the “related” section at the bottom pretty easy.

WordPress: Fixing the Link Button

digitaleagle Uncategorized, Wordpress Leave a comment

Since this last upgrade to WordPress 3.2.1, I have been having trouble using the link button in the Visual Editor.  The link button doesn’t do anything, and looking in the Javascript Console, I see an error.  I’ve noticed that it works in Firefox but not Chrome.  Also, it works fine in the HTML view but not the Visual view.

Javascript Chrome Error for Link Button

The weird part is that I installed a fresh installation of WordPress using Lunar Page’s Softaculous system.  The new installation had no problems.

I found a pretty nice forum post that has some things to try.  Unfortunately, none of them really worked.  I have disabled all of the plugins, and that didn’t seem to make a difference.  I also installed all of the plugins into my new instance, and that didn’t break that one.  I copied all the wp-includes from the new instance to the old one, and that didn’t fix it either.

I did find a work around: TinyMCE Advanced. Under settings, I enabled the “Advanced Links”. That replaces the dialog and works around the javascript error.

I would love to fix it for good through. Please comment if you have any other ideas.

Resources

Troubleshooting: Firewall Blocked Printing in Fedora 15

digitaleagle Fedora, Troubleshooting, Uncategorized Leave a comment

I had trouble printing from my laptop to the printer on my Ubuntu server. It took me a bit to figure it out, but I finally figured out that it was the Firewall.

When I looked in the Printer properties, I saw the message:

Stopped – /usr/lib/cups/backend/ipp failed

To troubleshoot, I ran “system-config-printer” on my server (I ran it through ssh so I didn’t have to walk into the other room). Then, I unchecked “enabled” on the printer so I didn’t waste any paper.

Then, I tried to print from gedit. It wouldn’t work at first.

Next, I opened “Firewall Configuration”. You can launch it from the command line with “system-config-firewall”. On the toolbar, click “Disable” and “Apply”. Then, I tried to print again. For me, I was able to print with no problem.

If that is the same for you, try checking these two options:

  • Network Printing Client
  • Network Printing Server

Printing Services in Firewall Configuration

For me, these two options were already checked. I had removed and re-added the printer, and somewhere along the way it asked if I wanted to open the printing ports in the firewall. That’s what made me check the firewall in the first place. Well, I found a post that suggested that it configures the firewall but doesn’t apply the changes. Sure enough, when I re-enabled the firewall and hit apply, I was able to print from gedit!

Resources

HotMod ROM on HD2

digitaleagle Andriod, HTC HD2, Uncategorized 1 Comment

Several days ago, I flashed my HD2 with the HotMod ROM by Hannes HD2. So, here’s my experience.

The ROM works very well for the most part. These are the issues that I have had with it so far:

  • Occasional reboots for no reason — it doesn’t happen often, but it is annoying when you feel your pocket vibrate and you pull out your phone only to find it on the boot screen.  (This didn’t seem to happen until the Market application upgraded)
  • The browser quite working.  It force closes before it opens a page.  It worked at first, but again, sometime after the market upgraded, the browser quite working.
  • Sound is quiet on phone calls
  • Battery usage isn’t as good as CM7
Note: I installed version 0.4.  Currently, 0.5 exists, and I have not had the chance to try that yet.  According to the Change Log, version 5 is supposed to have “Cleaned up Ringtones to fit 300 mb partition”

Important: These are just my installation notes. There is no warranty with them intended, nor are they really instructions for installing a ROM. They are just meant to supplement what others have already written. Maybe they will provide a good starting place, but please be sure to read through the links.

First, I followed the cLK from Dummies instructions.

Step 1: HardSPL. I already had HardSPL 2.08, so I skipped this step. You can see what version you have by starting with your phone off. Then, hold the volume down button while you turn your phone on.

If you need to install HSPL, visit this thread.

Step 2: Task 29.

I wasn’t sure if I needed to do this since I have already done it once, but I went ahead and did it again. I visited this thread for instructions, but I downloaded it from this thread.

Basically, I prepared the phone by turning it on with the Volume Down key. I plugged the phone into the USB port. Then, I had to run (from Windows unfortunately) the .exe program included with the zip file. I had dusted off an old copy of Windows Vista, and to make it work, I had to right click on the program and choose to run it as administrator.

Step 3: Install the Radio.

I downloaded Leo_RADIO_2.15.50.14** from here. Again, I held the Volume Down key as the phone booted, and connected it to the USB. Finally, I ran CustomRUU.exe.

Step 4: Run the HotMod CustomRUU.exe

I downloaded the HotMod utilities v0.1 [cLK 1.4.0.1 +partition layout + CWM 4.0.1.4].zip file and extracted it to a directory in Windows. Then, I held the Volume Down button while the phone booted. Finally, I ran the CustomRUU.exe in what I extraced from the zip.

Note: for reference, I extracted the zip file into c:\temp\hd2, so all paths will be relative to that.

Step 5: Installed Google USB Drivers

When the “Found New Hardware” dialog displayed, I chose “Locate and install driver software”. Then, I had to choose “I don’t have the disc. Show me other options”, and “Browse my comptuer for driver software (advanced)”.

For the software location, I chose: “C:\Temp\hd2\HotMod utilities v0.1 [cLK 1.4.0.1 +partition layout + CWM 4.0.1.4]\google-usb_driver”.

The install did take quite a while, but when it was done, I finally got: “Android ADB Interface device installed correctly”. Finally, I had to reboot before the driver seemed to work.

Step 6: Flashed the Recovery

I opened command prompt (cmd.exe). Then, I had to change to the zip directory — First, “cd \temp\hd2”, and then, cd “HotMod utilities v0.1 [cLK 1.4.0.1 +partition layout + CWM 4.0.1.4]”

To do this, the ROM includes a utility called FastBoot. You can read more up on it here. So, I typed:

fastboot flash recovery recovery_leo4014.img

Unfortunately, the recovery that came with HotMod didn’t work for me. Instead I downloaded recovery_4.0.1.4_leo_CWR.zip from here.

Note: you can use the command “fastboot reboot” to reboot the phone when your done.

Step 7: Copied the ROM to the SD Card

I copied the ROM to the SD Card by booting into recovery on the phone. That is holding the Power Button/Hang up button while the phone boots. Then, I used the menu option “mounts and storage” > “mount USB storage”.

At that point, I could access the phone as a drive, and I copied the HotMod_v0.4.zip file to the root directory of the SD card.

Step 8: Flashed the ROM

Again, in the recovery, I used the following menu: “install zip from sdcard” > “choose zip from sdcard”.

Next, it asks for the zip file to flash. I chose the “HotMod_v0.4.zip” that I copied previously. And, it asks for confirmation … “Yes – Install HotMod_v0.4.zip”.

Tips for WebEx on 64-bit Fedora 15

digitaleagle Fedora, Uncategorized, WebEx 2 Comments

Things are settling down now on my Fedora 15, and it is time to get WebEx working.  After a few Google searches, I came across instructions on using 32-bit Firefox on 64-bit Fedora.

I had WebEx working in my 64-bit Ubuntu installation, so I decided to not settle for a 32-bit hack. I didn’t get a good how-to going, but here’s some tips that might help:

First, get Java working. I have Sun’s JDK 1.7 installed. I am not sure the version matters. Open JDK or Sun’s JDK should work, and the 1.6 should be fine. From this posting, I found the command to link the Java plugin to Firefox:

sudo /usr/sbin/alternatives –install \
    /usr/lib64/mozilla/plugins/libjavaplugin.so \
    libjavaplugin.so.x86_64 \
    /usr/java/default/lib/amd64/libnpjp2.so 20000

For Chrome, I used this command:

sudo ln -s \
   /etc/alternatives/libjavaplugin.so.x86_64 \
   /usr/lib64/chromium-browser/plugins/libjavaplugin.so.x86_64

If this still doesn’t work, you can troubleshoot with these commands:

ls -l /usr/java/default/lib/amd64/libnpjp2.so
ls -l /usr/lib64/mozilla/plugins
ls -l /etc/alternatives/libjavaplugin.so.x86_64

Now, make sure this page comes up and says that the Java plugin is working:
Java.com: How do I test whether Java is working on my computer?

If that works for you, move on to WebEx:
WebEx Join Test

Update: Unfortunately, while the Join Test works, it is not a good test. The 64-bit will not work with Desktop Sharing. If you plan to try to view someone’s desktop, you will need to fall back to the 32-bit version of Firefox and Java. You can view the requirements here, and notice that 27.27 has updated to requiring 32-bit.

Resources:

Skype on Fedora 15

digitaleagle Fedora, Skype, Uncategorized 1 Comment

I found a couple of good instructions for installing Skype from their repository. The advantage is that it should keep it up to date assuming Skype publishes updates to the repository.

The repo file I got from here, and I just uploaded it so that I could use wget to install rather than gedit as the other instructions use. Maybe someday I can build an RPM to make it even easier.

Install Steps:

su -c "wget -P /etc/yum.repos.d/ http://digitaleagle.net/fedorastuff/skype.repo"
su -c "yum install skype"

Unfortunately, this didn’t work for my 64bit system:

Running Transaction
  Installing : skype-2.1.0.81-fc10.i586                                     1/1

Installed:
  skype.i586 0:2.1.0.81-fc10

Complete!
[skp@pecan ~]$ locate skype
[skp@pecan ~]$ which skype
/usr/bin/skype
[skp@pecan ~]$ ls -l `which skype
> `
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 18621060 Jan 18  2010 /usr/bin/skype
[skp@pecan ~]$ /usr/bin/skype
bash: /usr/bin/skype: /lib/ld-linux.so.2: bad ELF interpreter: No such file or directory

So, I installed the dependencies mentioned in this thread:

yum install alsa-lib.i686 dbus-libs.i686 e2fsprogs-libs.i686 expat.i686 fontconfig.i686 freetype.i686 glib2.i686 glibc.i686 keyutils-libs.i686 krb5-libs.i686 libcap.i686 libgcc.i686 libICE.i686 libpng.i686 libselinux.i686 libSM.i686 libstdc++.i686 libX11.i686 libXau.i686 libxcb.i686 libXcursor.i686 libXdmcp.i686 libXext.i686 libXfixes.i686 libXi.i686 libXinerama.i686 libXrandr.i686 libXrender.i686 libXScrnSaver.i686 libXv.i686 openssl.i686 qt.i686 qt-x11.i686 zlib.i686

Then, that finally worked!
Skype starting up for the first time (showing the license screen)

References:

Great Links: Web Encryption without SSL

digitaleagle Javascript, PHP, Uncategorized 1 Comment

I have been working on getting data transfer encrypted for parts of my website, and I think I have a solution! Rather than encrypt all of the site with an expensive SSL certificate, I am just going to encrypt the AJAX calls.

Here are the resources that I am using:

Do you have any experience with this or anything similar? Comments are welcome!

Update: I am still trying to get it working… Check out my question here.

Update: Here’s a nice link to help with generating the key: madboa.com: OpenSSL Command-Line HOWTO — How do I generate an RSA key?

Update: I haven’t been able to get pidCrypt to work. I found another tool that looks very good called jCryption, but I can’t make it work because my host doesn’t provide the bcMath library. I found a couple more helpful pages here and here.

Kernel 2.6.40 and Broadcom Wireless Broken!

digitaleagle Fedora, Uncategorized Leave a comment

Unfortunately, I don’t have any fixes at this point. But, I do have some links. If you have any ideas, please comment below. I am sure I am not the only one with this problem.

I have updated the kernel with YumEx, and now I have two different 2.6.40 kernels. When I boot into either of those kernels, my wireless is gone! Currently, the only way I can make the wireless work is to select the 2.6.38 kernel at the grub menu during boot.

That is not a good long term solution because I believe that yum only saves the last two kernels previous to the current one. So, if I update the kernel one more time, I think 2.6.38 will fall off the list! That’s is why I haven’t just updated the /boot/grub/grub.conf to make the 2.6.38 kernel default.

Here are some links that may help:

One link that I found suggested adding a line to the modprobe configuration to blacklist bcma. Unfortunately, that didn’t work for me. That module doesn’t seem to be installed. Do I need to install it?

[skp@pecan ~]$ sudo modprobe bcma
[sudo] password for skp: 
FATAL: Module bcma not found.

Another post suggested blacklisting b44. That one didn’t work for me either. It just made the Wired connection not work.

In my old kernel, here is what things look like:

[skp@pecan ~]$ echo 'Kernel Version: ' `uname -r` && echo 'lspci Info:' && lspci -v | awk '/Ether|Net/,/^$/'
Kernel Version:  2.6.38.8-35.fc15.x86_64
lspci Info:
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4401-B0 100Base-TX (rev 02)
	Subsystem: Dell Device 01f2
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 64, IRQ 17
	Memory at fe5fe000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>
	Kernel driver in use: b44
	Kernel modules: b44

0c:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g LP-PHY (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Dell Wireless 1395 WLAN Mini-Card
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17
	Memory at fe8fc000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>
	Kernel driver in use: wl
	Kernel modules: wl, ssb

In, the new kernel, here is what it looks like:

[skp@pecan ~]$ echo 'Kernel Version: ' `uname -r` && echo 'lspci Info:' && lspci -v | awk '/Ether|Net/,/^$/'
Kernel Version:  2.6.40.3-0.fc15.x86_64
lspci Info:
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4401-B0 100Base-TX (rev 02)
	Subsystem: Dell Device 01f2
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 64, IRQ 17
	Memory at fe5fe000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>
	Kernel driver in use: b44
	Kernel modules: b44

0c:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g LP-PHY (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Dell Wireless 1395 WLAN Mini-Card
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17
	Memory at fe8fc000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>
	Kernel driver in use: b43-pci-bridge
	Kernel modules: ssb

Installing MS Office on Fedora 15 — try 2

digitaleagle Fedora, How To, Microsoft Office, Uncategorized, Wine 4 Comments

This is my second attempt at writing this article.  Office hasn’t been playing nicely with Fedora, but I finally have it working!  This How-To is not as clean as I would like, but it works.

First, let’s explore the motivation for installing Microsoft Office on Linux.  I would venture to guess that most if not all Linux distributions have LibreOffice in their repositories.  That is a full-featured office package that will probably do most of what you want.  In my opinion, Microsoft Office is just a little bit better, but that comes with a huge price tag!  The value is definitely on LibreOffice’s side.  But, here are some reasons you may consider Office instead:

  • if you can get Office cheaper — many times you can get Office much cheaper through student licensing or corporate licensing
  • if you do a lot of work on Office documents in conjunction with other Microsoft users — LibreOffice can open, edit, and save MS Office documents, but when you go back and forth, you will probably have to constantly fix small formatting issues

My motivation comes from working with textbooks.  I was working with large Word documents, and since they were so large, reformatting images and screenshots were not feasible every time we passed them back and forth between LibreOffice and MS Office.  Plus, Office was bought for me so the cost was not an issue!
So, with no further adue, let me walk you through what I did to install it on my Fedora 15 OS:

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